


A Girl Worth Fighting For

by meinterrupted



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Post 2x03 (Lady of the Lake), Pre-Slash, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-16
Updated: 2012-11-16
Packaged: 2017-11-18 18:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/564188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meinterrupted/pseuds/meinterrupted
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>You need to find a better way to channel your anger.</em>
</p><p>After the events of Lady of the Lake, Mulan teaches Aurora to spar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Girl Worth Fighting For

**Author's Note:**

> Um, I don't even know. I have this vague Mulan/Aurora longfic in my head that I haven't quite worked out, and I don't generally write for ongoing canon, so this is all new to me.
> 
> Title is from the eponymous song from the Disney movie, "Mulan." Lots of love to my friend and beta, Sarah, for telling me this doesn't suck. Any remaining mistakes are mine.

_"You need to find a better way to channel your anger."_

\--

"Princess, you are not listening."

Aurora huffed out a frustrated sigh. "I'm listening, Mulan, I just... I'm not any good at this!"

Mulan stifled the urge to roll her eyes, and lowered the wooden dowel she was using as a practice sword. "No one is good at sparring when they first begin, Princess," she said, keeping her tone neutral. "It is only with practice that one acquires skill." 

Aurora's expression was still and mulish, so Mulan decided to try a different tactic. "Let's try something else," she said, setting the dowel aside and starting to remove her armor. She'd already taken off her cape and heavy leather gauntlets, but now she undid her ornamental red belt and stripped out of the thick, embroidered leather chestplate that protected her from shoulder to thigh.

"What are you doing?" Aurora asked, frowning, as Mulan carefully set each piece aside, until she was wearing only her quilted linen under armor and black leather pants.

"Since you seem to dislike swordplay, Princess, I want to teach you some moves that will serve you well when you are weaponless," she answered, mentally chiding herself for not beginning with hand-to-hand combat. Though Aurora had used a dagger to threaten Snow White, she was much more likely to be caught out without a blade than with one.

"Hmph," Aurora said, and Mulan forced herself to hide the amused smile that threatened.

"You would do better to remove your skirts," she said instead.

"I--" Aurora stuttered to a stop, glanced down at the ground, then raised her chin and looked Mulan in the eye, every inch regal. "I would rather not," she stated simply.

Mulan nodded once. "Very well." She took two steps forward, edging into Aurora's personal space. The princess tensed a little, then forced herself to relax. "I am going to have to put my hands on you to teach you the moves, Princess. If at any time you feel uncomfortable--"

"You don't have to coddle me, Mulan," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not as helpless as you seem to think I am."

This time, she couldn't quite hide her smile, as the edges of her mouth quirked up of their own accord. "I apologize, Princess--"

"And for goodness' sake, call me Aurora," she said, exasperation clear in her voice. "I think we've gotten past the whole 'Princess' bit by now, haven't we?"

Mulan nodded, pleased in a new and strange way by Aurora's show of spirit. There was a warmth low in her belly that she hadn't felt since... well. Since she and Phillip were alone on the road, searching for Aurora, sharing stories over the fire. She shook that memory loose, and focused on the princess. "Of course, Aurora. Now, when an attack comes at you from the front," she explain, matching words to action, "show me how you would defend yourself."

For the next hour, the two of them sparred. Mulan was often impressed by what Aurora already knew; it was nowhere near her own level, but the princess surprised her more than once. "My kingdom wasn't always peaceful," she explained as she offered a prone Mulan a hand up. "I was expected to know certain tactics."

Mulan took her hand, and used it to flip Aurora over and pin her under her own more muscular body. She grinned down at Aurora, whose red curls were stuck to her flushed face with sweat. "Never trust an enemy not to know your weaknesses," she murmured, doing her best to ignore the way Aurora's struggles to free herself resulted in her thigh pressing up between her own legs in a singularly distracting way, and the way her plump lips parted as she breathed in deeply. Adrenaline spiking in a way that had little to do with their sparring, Mulan quickly extracted herself and stood, brushing dirt and twigs off herself and avoiding Aurora's glare as she clambered to her feet.

"I think that's enough for today," Mulan said, turning around to collect her armor and trying to ignore the way her heart hammered in her chest and the apex of her thighs ached.

There was a beat of silence, then Aurora said, "No."

Mulan frowned, and turned back. "What?"

"What you just did, with the flip? You need to show me how to do it," Aurora declared, her face set.

"I'm sorry, Princess--"

"I said to stop that," Aurora said, her voice hard and cold. "But if you insist on referring to me as a princess, I will act like one and order you to teach me."

Mulan felt the warmth in her belly turn hot with anger. But instead of arguing, she simply nodded. "As you wish," she said. "Lie down on your back."

Aurora did, and Mulan knelt next to her, pointing to the muscles Aurora would use to turn her body into a human lever and outmaneuver an opponent who underestimated her. "You may not be strong enough yet to use this move with someone significantly larger," she explained, "but that strength will come with time and practice."

They repeated the same actions several times, until Mulan and Aurora were both slick with sweat, tired, and aching. When Aurora could flip Mulan consistently, even when Mulan prepared for it, she declared Aurora competent and their training session over for the day. "Unless my princess wishes otherwise," she couldn't help but add, her anger not yet cooled.

Aurora sighed wearily, and brushed a damp lock of hair from her forehead. "Mulan, I'm sorry for that," she said, expression tired. "I just--I thought I'd done something to offend you, and I don't..." She trailed off and pursed her lips, obviously searching for the right words. "I have been a princess my whole life. It's all I've ever been. Here, I'm... Well. I'm not, not really. I feel lost and confused, and you're the only person here who knows--," she stuttered, "anyone from my past, and then you act like you hate me. So I did what I was taught to do, and I was wrong to do it. I would like if we could be..." She trailed off and dropped her gaze for a moment, before straightening her spine and looking Mulan in the eye. "I would like if we could be friends."

Though her posture screamed confidence, Mulan could see the uncertainty in the way her breathing was a touch too fast, her eyes a little too wide. Mulan remembered when she had been new to this land, unsure of its customs and forced to prove her worth over and over again because of her gender. It was only a small kindness from Prince Phillip that had kept her from returning to the Middle Kingdom in disgrace; she could do no less for the woman he'd loved, no matter that her own feelings were so mixed up that Mulan herself could hardly tell where one ended and another began.

She bowed at the waist, not as low as Aurora's rank dictated, but rather the greeting one friend would give to another. Though the princess would likely not understand the significance, it helped cement the decision in Mulan's mind. "I would be honored to be your friend, Aurora," she said.

When Mulan straightened, it was to see a shy smile on Aurora's face. Though she quickly tamped it down, she couldn't forget the quick burst of pleasure at the sight. "Good. I think... I think we both need a friend."

Mulan nodded. "Yes, I believe we do."


End file.
